lying down), generally after ca. 3 minutes rest. This en-
sures your circulation is normal, this providing equal
conditions for comparable measurements.
If your blood pressure remains constantly above
normal over a period of several days, you should not
hesitate to consult your doctor and show him your
record card with the measurements taken.
He will make the correct diagnosis and if necessary,
prescribe the necessary medication to lower your blood
pressure.
Do not get alarmed if on occasions you measure a
higher blood pressure than normal. Blood pressure
changes constantly, because the heart adepts to the
physical demands of the body.
It is perfectly normal for blood pressure to increase
substantially after physical exercise, as well as after
exceptional psychological influences such as shock,
fear, excitement etc.
Only if a constantly high blood pressure is found in
complete rest, you have real hypertension, which
further increases dangerously under physical or
mental stress.
Although hypotension (low blood pressure) can cause
uncomfortable symptoms like vertigo and general
exhaustion, the sub-normal blood pressure does not
represent a serious health risk. It can generally be
regarded as a „resting mode" for your engine heart, with
a higher life expectancy.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has set the
following guideline for the assessing of blood pressure
values:
Systolic
Too high
over 140 mmHg
Normal – borderline
130 to 139 mmHg
Normal
120 to 129 mmHg
Optimum
up to 119 mmHg
Diastolic
over 90 mmHg
85 to 89 mmHg
80 to 84 mmHg
up to 79 mmHg
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